its from the old english a faggot is a bundle of sticks used to start a fire there was a politician that used the term to describe homosexuals saying they should be burned like faggots and the term caught on its been used as a derogatory term ever since it may not be used in the same way anymore by everyone but its roots are still steeped in that same etymology also enough people still use it in its original conveyance that it shouldnt be used at all